Originally Posted by
PromptCritical
I have an eeSilk stem on my road bike (single) and it is great on the San Diego "paved" roads, but three months in, it is still disconcerting to have the bars move while braking. It's not enough to affect the handling, but......
Sounds like you've stepped into my wheelhouse. So, when braking, the forward weight transfer will naturally want to compress a suspension stem, with either a single forward link (swingarm) or double (parallel) links. Now, technically, if either of those links faced *backwards* toward the rider, there would be an optimum angle pointing upward, that would allow vertical travel for suspension, but under forward force, would not compress. This is the same with car front suspension, trailing arms (original VW Beetle) would "pro-dive" under braking, whereas a leading arm suspension (or links that provide virtual geometry for the same effect), can experience "anti-dive" to various degrees, up to 100%, depending on the inclination of the leading arm. (In auto parlance, we are talking about Side View Swing Arm length).
Links pointing back from the steering axis to the rider, would provide weird steering geometry. But it should be possible to have a stem with a platform that projects, say, 4" forward of the steering axis, and from there, project links 4" aft toward the rider (or say, 3", if you like a more forward stem with the handlebars forward of the steering axis), so you get your anti-dive, your steering is correct, and you have suspension for vertical bumps.
I should get paid for advice this good.